One Small and Silent Victory (based upon experiences in a classroom Fall 2014)

FADE IN:

INT. HALL - DAY 1
Bright eyed and slender blonde fifty-something MS. SMITH stands outside the door to her classroom on a Wednesday morning. 

The bald and beautiful, mid 30’s MR. MCCLANE stands beside her watching the presumably controlled chaos that is a middle school hall. 

The air is filled with the commotion and conversations that accompanies hundreds of 6th graders as they scurry from their first class to their second. 

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY 1

It is not yet nine o’clock in Ms. Smith’s classroom as nine 6th grade students mill through the doorway and to their assigned seats. 

One of those students is JOHN, a smiling, constantly moving small boy with the look of someone who is excited about life. John is happily and perpetually distracted. 

John’s binder has papers hanging out and falling to the floor as he takes his spot at a table only long enough to put down the binder and wander to the window to gaze outside as the bell rings.

INT. HALL - DAY 2

Ms. Smith and Mr. McClane, dressed differently than before, stand in the hallway greeting students as they enter the classroom. 

John wanders up to them with a knowing grin, waiting for acknowledgement.

MR. MCCLANE

Hey buddy! Good morning. How ya doing?

John is distracted before the words have left Mr. McClane’s mouth and he wanders away, papers falling from his binder.

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY 3

The students read paperback books and reference a printed worksheet periodically. 

Ms. Smith and Mr. McClane meander through the room looking over students shoulders and approaching students whose hands are raised.

Ms. Smith gives a quick nod in the direction of John, who is straddling his chair, while resting his upper body on the table as he reads his paperback. 

Mr. McClane stifles a smile. 

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY 4

Students enter the room as they are greeted by Mr. McClane at the door. Ms. Smith works near her desk to organize a stack of papers.

As the bell rings, Ms. Smith picks up a stack of papers and smiles to the class.

Mr. McClane wanders along one wall smiling and checking to see that all the students are settled and prepared for class.

MS. SMITH

Good morning. Remember Monday we watched a video about 

the Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe?

The students appear to have some recollection. One dark haired girl, TESS grins and turns to the girl next to her.

TESS

Oooh yeah! Remember that mean guy with the creepy eye?

MR. MCCLANE

He wasn’t necessarily mean, he just had a creepy eye. 

Students shudder with the memory, others laughed. All grew excited. 

John doesn’t speak, but enjoys classmates’ responses.

MS. SMITH

Yes! That’s the video. Well today we are going to 

read the short story together as a class-

The students’ excited energy leaves the room.

MS. SMITH (CONT’D)
But first, we are going to number the paragraphs. Get out a pencil and do this along with me.

Ms. Smith places her copy of the story under the document camera, projecting it onto a screen while 

Mr. McClane passes out  copies to each of the students. He encourages the students to write the appropriate numbers next to the corresponding paragraphs. 

Perhaps intentionally, Ms. Smith makes a couple of errors when numbering the paragraphs. John is quick to correct her.

JOHN

(grinning)Nuh-uh! That’s not number 6 that’s still number 5!

MS. SMITH

Oh, John you’re right. Thank you!

The students finish the numbering activity and look leery. 

MS. SMITH (CONT’D)

OK. Who wants to read paragraph 1?

A couple of students fire their hands into the air as others quickly scan the pages for the shortest paragraphs possible.

Ms. Smith begins counting off student names with paragraphs.

MS. SMITH (CONT’D)

Tess, paragraph 1. Billy, paragraph 2, Maddie, 3, John, 4.

Mr. McClane steps to the center of the chattering students.

MR. MCCLANE

Ms. Smith, can I have them line up in order to keep clear 

who reads when?

Ms. Smith deftly gave approval with a wink.

MS. SMITH

Sure! Why don’t you go with it? 

The students spout to Mr. McClane to claim their desired paragraphs. Some looking for brevity, others length, some only want the word “damnable” to be in their paragraph.

MR. MCCLANE
Tess, you stand here. Billy, Maddie, John...

He calls out their names as they stand along the wall in order. Some offer minor protests but most focus immediately upon the papers in their hands.

MR. MCCLANE (CONT’D)
Ok, Tess. You start.

Tess read the first paragraph, a long one. Students each read in order. Students at the beginning and end of the line are unable hear each other and break rank for audibility’s sake.

The line continues to disintegrate as reading proceeds. 

Two girls, weary from standing for all of three minutes step away and return with their chairs. Soon others are following suit.

Her back to the class, Ms. Smith sits typing at her laptop. 

MR. MCCLANE (CONT’D)

Alright, pause. This line thing isn’t working. Lets all grab a chair and sit in a circle.

The students who are mostly engrossed in Poe’s story quickly grab chairs and drag them into a circle. 

All of the students immediately get back to the reading. 

A chubby boy, GARTH stops reading his paragraph.

GARTH

Wait, this doesn’t make sense the way he’s saying it “If still you think me mad,

 you will think so no longer.”  

A blue-eyed girl, MADDIE, looks up.

MADDIE

Yeah it does. It’s kind of like British. The way British people talk. 

GARTH

More like Yoda.

The students and Mr. McClane laugh and the reading proceeds.

MR. MCCLANE

Who was our next reader?

John smiled hugely and pointed a thumb at his chest.

MR. MCCLANE (CONT’D)

(to John) Go for it.

John valiantly struggles his way through his paragraph. 

When the story is finished the students look at one another and finally to Mr. McClane.

MR. MCCLANE (CONT’D)

So what was that story about?

The students all blurt out responses simultaneously.

Mr. McClane asks for quiet and the students hush. 

JOHN

It was about a creepy eyed guy who got killed by this other guy

 and he buried him under the floor but then the cops showed up 

and they were there and he heard the creepy eyed guy’s heartbeat 

and he went crazy.

Mr. McClane smiles widely as if he had never heard John answer a question correctly. 

MR. MCCLANE

Wow, John! That’s exactly right. Great job. Anyone else have anything to add?

The students chattered with more responses and opinions.

John smiles as his classmates recount their favorite parts of the story.

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY

The bell rings and students rise from their seats, gather their items, and exit the classroom. John moves slower than his peers but his smile never fades as he reachers the door he turns to Mr. 
McClane.

JOHN

You gonna be here tomorrow?

MR. MCCLANE

Yes, sir. Are you?

JOHN

Yeah, I’m here everyday.

John, already distracted by movement in the hall, exits.

MR. MCCLANE

Me too!

Ms. Smith and Mr. McClane stand at the doorway as 6th graders scurry to their next class.

MS. SMITH

That seemed to work really well for him! What did you think?

MR. MCCLANE

I’ve never seen him so on task. I think it helped to be sitting 

in a small circle where he could look right at his classmates while they read. 

MS. SMITH

Well, we will have to do that more often!

MR. MCCLANE

Yes. We will. Yes, we will.

FADE TO BLACK.